On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Associate County Attorney Danielle Mitchell provided a legislative update for the 2023 Maryland General Assembly Session.
Updates included that a draft for LR1963 has been forwarded to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for review; the Revenue Authority proposal and the bill to add a citizen member to the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland are awaiting a draft; and a follow up discussion on Senate Bill 130 for a new Health and Wellness Center.
The Resilience Authority of Charles County representatives introduced the new Resilience Authority Executive Director Stacy Schaefer and provided a presentation on the Authority’s current work. County Commissioners approved adding an ex-officio position for a Soil Conservation District representative to the Resilience Authority of Charles County; updating the Resilience Authority’s bylaws; and the Stormwater Prioritization List. As a part of the Residential Stormwater Drainage Improvement Program, the Resilience Authority hired a consultant to derive a model to prioritize known private stormwater concerns. Information on this program will be available to the public in the near future.
Commissioner Comments
Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins, II, Esq. provided sentiments and remarks on the death of Tyre Nichols and expressed the county’s work to provide the Charles County community with respect and human dignity.
Approval Items
County Commissioners approved:
- A fiscal 2023 budget transfer request of $8,200 to pay for the Administrative Charging Committee board member stipends.
- A fiscal 2023 budget amendment increase of $150,000 to support costs associated with the Declaratory Judgement lawsuit.
Open Session Briefings
- Charles County Board of Education, Charles County Public Schools, and Charles County Department of Health representatives provided a presentation on an Indian Head Elementary School-Based Health Center. Measurable benefits of these centers include addressing social determinants of health, reducing absenteeism, improving community health partnerships, reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations, increasing mental health resources, and providing financial and economic value.
Update
- Climate Resilience and Sustainability Officer Beth Groth provided a presentation on Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment and Initiatives. Highlights include EV deployment in Maryland, Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments efforts, SMECO’s EV Recharge Program, and Charles County’s Vehicle Fleet. Next steps include a zoning ordinance rewrite and the Climate Action Planning Process.
Employee Recognitions
- Length of Service Awards for October, November, and December 2022.
- Top Performer for the Fourth Quarter: Lt. Amanda Karwacki for her extraordinary service to a family in our community facing a terrible loss.
- 2022 Top Performer of the Year: John McConnell and David Hill for COVID-19 contact tracing.
Proclamations
- National Freedom Day
- Black History Month
- FeBREWary Month
- Career and Technical Education Month
- National Engineers Week
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Next Commissioners Session Feb. 7 and 8, 2023
Citizens with special needs may contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.
